https://publishing.co.uk/tags/business/Recent content in Business on publishing.co.uk — Professional KDP Book FormattingHugoen-gbSun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://publishing.co.uk/guides/business-book-kdp-formatting/Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://publishing.co.uk/guides/business-book-kdp-formatting/<h1 id="business-book-kdp-formatting-uk-authors-guide">Business Book KDP Formatting: UK Author's Guide</h1> <p>Self-publishing a business on Amazon KDP requires layout decisions specific to the genre — decisions that affect spine math, royalty per copy, reader experience, and (most importantly) whether your file clears KDP's automated review on the first attempt. This guide gives the formatting recipe most business authors should follow, plus the specific pitfall the genre is most likely to trip over.</p> <h2 id="tldr--the-business-formatting-recipe">TL;DR — the Business formatting recipe</h2> <ul> <li><strong>Trim:</strong> 6&quot; x 9&quot; (business book standard) or 5.5&quot; x 8.5&quot; (executive)</li> <li><strong>Paper:</strong> White (for charts and frameworks)</li> <li><strong>Body font:</strong> Minion Pro, Georgia or Sabon at 11pt for narrative chapters; Calibri / Avenir at 10pt for case-study sections</li> <li><strong>Chapter heading font:</strong> Strong sans-serif at 24-28pt with subtitle</li> <li><strong>Spacing:</strong> 1.3 spacing, justified or left-aligned, block paragraphs (no first-line indent, 6pt after)</li> <li><strong>Typical page count:</strong> 200-280 pages</li> </ul> <h2 id="why-these-defaults-are-the-right-starting-point">Why these defaults are the right starting point</h2> <p>The 6&quot; x 9&quot; trim is the business industry standard for a reason — it's what trad-published business books use, so it's what readers expect to feel in their hands. Deviating from the genre standard isn't always wrong, but it's a deliberate decision that needs a reason: maybe you're producing a limited-run hardcover with a different feel, or your book has unusual layout requirements. For 95% of authors in business, the standard trim wins.</p>